Rio Hondo College Board of Trustees Hires Firm to Guide Search for New Superintendent/President

October 11, 2018

by: Rio Hondo College

WHITTIER – Rio Hondo College’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday hired PPL, Inc. to conduct a search for a new superintendent/president to succeed leader Teresa Dreyfuss, who is departing at the end of the 2018-19 academic year.

The search is expected to take about six months and cost about $31,000. Dreyfuss gave the Board advance notice of her retirement plans in August to ensure the College would have ample time for the search.

PPL, Inc., a firm whose team includes former college educators, has a long history of assisting California Community Colleges in finding campus and district leaders. The firm is one of four to submit proposals and one of two reviewed by the Board of Trustees.

“PPL’s team of experts will provide Rio Hondo College with a solid foundation for our search for a successor to Teresa Dreyfuss, someone who can build on her accomplishments and guide Rio Hondo College as we navigate the challenges of the next decade,” Board of Trustees President Madeline Shapiro said. “It won’t be easy to replace Teresa, but we’ve got a strong, community-focused plan in place that should result in the strongest possible options.”

The firm will help the College outline the qualities desired in a superintendent/president, create a website with application materials, organize advertising, seek candidates through its network of educators, and guide the Rio Hondo College Presidential Search Hiring Committee as it screens up to 50 candidates and identifies finalists for consideration to the Board of Trustees.

The firm will also conduct extensive background checks on finalists, often reviewing as many as 15 individuals with perspective on each candidate. It also will advise the Board of Trustees as it conducts a review of the finalists.

The Board of Trustees on Tuesday also determined the composition of the Rio Hondo College Presidential Search Hiring Committee to be seven faculty members, four classified staff members, four managers, three students and five community representatives.

A similar process was followed when the Board hired Dreyfuss in 2013. She joined the College as an accountant in 1987 and rose through the ranks to become interim superintendent/president in 2012. Her last day will be June 30, 2019.

“Rio Hondo College has a strong commitment to its community – on campus and in the neighborhoods we serve,” Dreyfuss said. “The makeup of this committee and the extensive search efforts that are about to begin testify to that commitment and dedication to quality. I know the Committee and Board will select someone truly extraordinary to lead Rio Hondo College in the years to come.”

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